Youths unbeaten run comes to an end

Burnley lost yesterday in the U18 Professional Development League for the first time since the opening day of the season when we went down 1-0 to Bolton Wanderers at Gawthorpe.

Having drawn the previous league game 1-1 two weeks earlier, the young Clarets were hoping to get back to winning ways and were able to field a new signing in Jordan Barnett (pictured) who has signed from Penistone Church FC on a one year deal.

The first half was pretty even but it was Bolton who grabbed the lead just 17 minutes in. The won a very soft looking free kick some 25-yards from goal but there was nothing soft about the finish, a sublime Robbie Brady style free kick from Luca Navarro that flew into the corner and gave Adam Bruce no chance.

We should certainly have been at least level by half time but the goal just wouldn’t come. The Bolton goalkeeper made two outstanding saves, we missed a couple of opportunities and there were times when the final ball just wasn’t there. Even so, we were unfortunate to be behind when the half time whistle blew.

Danny Cadamarteri made a switch at the break, bringing on Michael Fowler to partner Jordan Cropper up front, replacing Terry Mupariwa as we went 4-4-2 and it certainly looked initially as though it was going to pay dividends.

We had more than enough chances to win the game but some careless finishing, more good saves from the goalkeeper and spoiling tactics from Bolton served only to frustrate is as the game went on and it began to look one of those days when no matter what was tried, the goal wouldn’t come, and so it proved.

They niggled and every time we won a free kick the Bolton player would retreat no more than two or three yards with the referee seemingly oblivious to it. They took the time wasting to a fine art which finally led to one of our defenders, as the goalkeeper held the ball far too long, to bellow down the pitch some words that suggested he should be getting on with it.

It was just left for the Bolton goalkeeper to save the day again with another couple of outstanding saves and when the final whistle went the Bolton players celebrated wildly while I’m sure the win would have provided their coach Nicky Spooner, whose playing career came to an end at Turf Moor in 1994, with one happy ending at Burnley.